National Republican., 1887-08-02
THE ATLANTA
But Very Little Damagod-so Says the
hoard.

bOhFus
The report OF the board OF naval OH ,ers
appointed to examine the Atlanta, her guns,
carriages, fittings, &c, and to ascertain the
damage sustained during recent target
practice was received by the Secretary Of
the Navy yesterday. The board stated that
the ship was taken to sea on the morning
OF July 27 and her guns we're fired. "No
deficiency the report says, ,"were noted IN
the guns themselves, other than q slight
shicking OF the breech plug In q inch B. l..
X. No. D.; this disappeared during the firing;
some difficulties In the management OF the
lock OF G-inch b. l. X. No. 4, caused by
slight upsettlDg Of the firing pin, and the
bending OF the extractor in6 FOUNDER II. +.
No 8.
"Ihe recoil and counter.recoil Of the S-lnch
and inch guns were easy aud satisfactory,
except at the second fire Of the S.inch B.
l.. r., No. !, when the gun remained In.
THE gun was readily run out with a
tackleJ. The action Of the carriage OF s.
inch b. l.. X. No. at The first fire was
due to want OF strength in the clips aud
clip circles, and, at the second fire, to want
of sufficient bearing and securing OF the
deck socket. 1t is believed that had the
deck socket held, the carriage would not
have been disabled by the giving way OF
the clips. The training gear stem and
hand were uninjured; the gun was readily
trained when run out TO place.
"The action Of the after o inch shifting gun
No. 4 was satisfactory, Notwithstanding that
the front clips had q play of half an inch.
The action Of the broadside carriages OF
6 inch guns Nos. 8 and IS was satisfactory
except the breaking OF clips, the starting
OF the copper rivets in the clip circles,
and the wood screws In the training cir.
cles. 1t is believed, from the action OF
the carriage of 6-incb b. L. r. No. 8, when
the clips were removed, that the car
riages can be safely used without clips.
The clips, however, give additional Sc
curity aud steadness to the carriage, aud
assist tho pivot and socket In bearing the
shock Of the discharge. The firing Of the
6-pounder 4. +. guns developed weak
ness in one leg Of the cage mount OF No.
d, due to imperfect workmanship, and
also the necessity Of locking nuts on the
bolts that secure the mounts to the ports
The tower mounts Of the 3.pouuder K. Il.
guns are unsatisfactory. They cannot be
removed with facility; the line of sight
OF the gun is obstructed at ranges be-
yond 1,G00 yards, and the guns eau
not be safely used as now fitted. For this
reason FOUNDER X. L. No. 3 was not fired.
The tripod mounts Of the 1-pounder II L.
guns need stronger holding down arrange
ments. The tower mounts OF the AZ NJ. NJ.
X. G. are like those Of the 3.pounder K. +.
guns. Careful observation Of the effect OF
the firing upon the hull OF the vessel failed
to develop any damage other than tho
breaking Of the cast steel port sill aud the
starting. OF some light woodwork. The
| shock Of discharge was slight iu the berth
deck, and observers there were unable to
observe which 6-inch gun had been fired.
The deck, hull, and fittings, with the ex-
| ception OF the port stills, hinges super.
structure, doors, and vegetable lock-
| ers, and some OF the light woodwork,
| have every appearance Of strength and
ability to endure the strain of continuous
| firing Of the guns. The blast OF the for
board beam will not permit the crews OF
the starboard 3-pounder r. f. and l.
| FOUNDER X. +. to remain at their guns.
When the after S-inch gun is fired forward
| OF the port beam the crews of the after AZ
| M. NJ. II. G. and of the port after 1-pounder
| II. +. cannot remain at their guns. When
the forward inch Shifting gun is fired on
the port bow or directly ahead, the crew OF
the forward S-ineh gun cannot remain at
their places When the after 6-inch shift
Ing gun is fired on the starboard quarter or
| directly aft the crew Of the after S-inch gun
cannot remain at their guns. The inability
to fire parts OF the secondary battery under
certain conditions is due to the great
arc OF fire given to the s inch guns. This
that screw can be placed between the S
and G-inch guns which will enable them to
be worked together forward or aft" The
board states concisely its opinions as to the
changes demanded, which consist princi-
pally in the method Of fastening the bearing
surfaces to the steel decks, the construction
Of clips, and clip circles. The report says,
In conclusion "The plan Of testing the
hull, guns, and fittings OF the,Atlanta ar
ranged by the board contemplated more
extended use OF the main battery, but the
weakness developed in the port sills and In
the sockets OF the S-inch carriages rendered
further firing inadvisable."
Secretary Whitney says the defects re-
ported by the board aud the damages sus-
tained by the ship are trihlng as compared
with those rumored to have been discov-
cred, and that they are such as can be easily
and speedily remedied.